Shots fired on the Corner

Several gunshots were fired on the Corner between 1:45 a.m. and 2 a.m Thursday night. According to eyewitness testimony from first-year Engineering student Chris Glazier, the unknown gunman fired a third or fourth bullet through the front window of Mincers as he fled on foot.

Charlottesville Police Lt. Ronnie Roberts confirmed that both University and Charlottesville police responded to reports of gun shots at the intersection of Elliewood and University Avenues at about 1:48 a.m.

First-year Law student Colin Downes was on the Corner when the shooting occurred.

“There was some altercation happening, nobody was paying much attention,” Downes said. “But then there were a series of loud pops and muzzle flashes” as the shooter drew his gun and fired at the group he had been arguing with.

Second-year Law student Ron Fisher described the crowd’s reaction to the gun shots.

“The crowds on the street went to the ground – I heard some screams and someone yelling to get down,” he said. “I ducked behind a table and turned towards the noise, which came from the grounds immediately across the street from the Virginian.”

For Fisher, who gave a statement to the police, the incident almost had dire consequences.

“It was not until today that police informed me that one of the bullets struck Mincer’s not eight feet from where I was standing,” he said.

Second-year College student Dillon Harding found one 9 mm bullet casing next to the path leading from Mincers to the Rotunda — the shot the suspect fired as he ran from the Corner.

The shooter, believed to be a black male in his 20s, fled the scene on foot toward the Medical School.

“A lot of folks didn’t realize what was happening,” Downes said. “Those who did were ducking behind trees and walls.”

Anybody with information about the incident is urged to call Crimestoppers at 434-977-4000